Smart agrivoltaics policy allows us to harvest the sun while preserving American farmland

American farmland can play a critical role in the clean energy transition, evolving to thrive alongside renewable energy development like solar, wind and energy storage. With respect to solar generation, in order to meet a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2035, the Biden Administration has set a goal of having 40% of our nation’s electricity coming from solar by that same date, up from the current 4%. Brownfields, closed capped landfills, rooftops and other preferred sites will provide important sources for hosting solar arrays. However, American farmland also has a significant role to play, and it is estimated that farmers and other landowners will lease more than 2 million acres of agricultural land in the United States for community and utility-scale solar projects by 2030 (a small fraction of the 880 million of farmlands reported by the USDA in 2023).

One promising trend that has evolved and expanded over the past five to 10 years is the concept of agrivoltaics. Agrivoltaics, also referred to as dual-use solar, includes pollinator-friendly ground cover, solar grazing with sheep (and potentially cattle) and, more recently, active crop production in and around the solar arrays. Pairing solar and agriculture delivers a number of benefits for both the clean energy and agricultural economies. Simply put, agrivoltaics continue the legacy of American farming by preserving, improving and restoring prime agricultural land while providing additional income that is critical for farmers to assist in keeping farms in agricultural use.

While the agrivoltaics industry expands, however, a few barriers remain. The costs for dual-use solar can be higher than traditional solar development, and navigating state and local tax codes can be overly complicated. Perhaps most importantly, ensuring that farmers are well informed and able to access this untapped opportunity is paramount. It’s no surprise that policy makers are recognizing these challenges and the upside that agrivoltaics offers their constituents. It’s important to understand the various bipartisan legislative proposals at the state and federal level to most effectively support this growing industry and optimize outcomes for those in both the solar as well as agricultural industries.

These policies have the potential to create a diverse, thriving agrivoltaic industry, if enacted properly. These four key policy priorities should be taken into account to set the foundation for the agrivoltaic revolution:

1. Make requirements flexible to allow farmers to dictate agricultural requirements for the farm and allow solar to be designed to meet those needs.

There are countless ways to manage a farm, and, as any farmer knows, adaptation and working with environmental conditions are key to agricultural success. The specifications for growing tomatoes around solar panels will look different than those for grazing sheep or cattle. To support an innovative, flexible agricultural system, agrivoltaics policy should allow for a wide variety of agrivoltaics projects. Allowing farmers and developers to decide together the best module height or rack spacing for any given site and dual-use will create a more diverse and resilient agricultural system.

2. Create funding opportunities to explore innovative agrivoltaic solutions.

Some agrivoltaic solutions are better established, such as solar grazing, wherein animals (primarily sheep) graze the vegetation around and under panels rather than using fossil-fuel-powered mowers. Countless other agrivoltaic solutions could benefit from further exploration. Organizations like United Agrivoltaics are exploring the potential for grazing pigs and using areas within projects for ducks and chickens, bolstering diverse local agriculture. NYSERDA recently announced an RFP for agrivoltaic research and demonstration. Incentives for research and these types of pilot projects will accelerate the adoption of new and proven agrivoltaic methods by project developers and potentially create new markets for American agriculture.

3. Streamline agricultural tax incentives to allow for dual-use solar deployment.

Land in active agricultural-use receives tax incentives for the value the land produces for society. As long as land stays in active agricultural-use as defined by the relevant jurisdictions (generally based on economic output), landowners should expect to maintain those incentives, regardless of whether a solar array is also present on the property. Active farming should not be penalized by the tax code for also deploying solar or energy storage and thus harvesting the sun to generate clean energy (and additional revenue) alongside the food that feeds our communities.

4. Educate the agricultural community on the opportunity and benefits of co-locating solar on the farm.

Agrivoltaics has only emerged in the last decade. Communities may not yet know about innovative dual-use land management that can provide both energy as well as local food security. Farmers are still learning about opportunities for land use that may benefit both their agricultural production and their financial resiliency. Policy should provide state agricultural agencies with the resources necessary to educate farmers about agrivoltaics and the benefits of co-locating solar and agriculture.

In conclusion, agrivoltaics has a great deal to offer both the renewable energy and agricultural industries, and, as a result, considerable research and legislative action is under consideration at local, state and federal levels. Given the multiple benefits afforded by agrivoltaics, it is important for our legislative leaders to support this growing practice at a pivotal time in its development by creating policies that are flexible enough to overcome initial barriers hindering growth. If done correctly, this will allow for continued innovative practices and approaches for the creation of mutually beneficial partnerships for solar and agriculture to advance together across the United States.

Lauren Glickman is the VP of Policy and Communications for Encore Renewable Energy. She has over two decades of experience in clean energy and climate change advocacy. She has spearheaded the strategic marketing and communications efforts for numerous companies and organizations across the renewable energy sector. She is currently Vice Chair of the Energy Storage Division on the Board of Directors at the Solar Energy Industries Association.